When Fall rolls around I fall back in love with sweatpants, cuddle blankets, hot tea … and everything else cozy. I gladly set aside my flip flops for my cozy slippers as the floors begin to feel cold in the morning.

All of the snuggling starts to get me in the mood for some knitting and crocheting. I don’t typically do either one during the Spring and Summer months. It’s not a rule or anything, I just usually don’t feel like it. But when Fall rolls around I start searching for my needles and hooks and scrounging whatever yarn is leftover from last winter.

So I did just that last week – found some needles, found some yarn and found a pattern. I wanted to knit a cup cozy, like this one:

Don’t you love it? I had some red yarn and small needles. I tried this pattern. I cuddled under a blanket and was so excited to knit myself a little cozy. I thought I was having a brilliant idea and I would knit a whole bunch for Christmas. Imagine my disappointment when it came out terrible. It was too big and almost stretchy – so it didn’t stay put on the cup. There’s no way I’m showing you a picture of the one I made. I was SO bummed.

Thankfully, it was a small, quick project so I didn’t have too much time invested. It looks like it should have been pretty simple. I’m not really sure what I did wrong. Can anyone help? I’d love to try it again and get it right!

Also, I’m dying to make a cute hat for myself – not a warm winter-y one – a cute one. I stumbled across this one and I think I might try it. It’s a little outside of my realm of comfort but I’m willing to try! What do you think?

Are you working on any projects? Have any tips for me or good patterns? Please share! I can use all the help I can get

Why I do what I do ~ One night we were driving down the road and Chloe spotted something far away. She said, “Do you know why I can see that far? It’s because I ate carrots today.”

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I’ve been doing a little sewing lately. Recently I made a dress for Chloe that was quick and easy – a smocked dress. I’ve made them before and it is the perfect project for a beginner so I thought I’d share it here.

Buying the fabric

Smocked fabric is fabric that looks like this on top.

I was able to make this dress for a little over $4. I went to my local fabric store, searching for something else and notice the smocked fabric on sale for 50% off. If you want to make this dress then this is the deal you’re looking for. Ordinarily the fabric is expensive and it’s not as great of a deal. So look for the sale.

Smocked fabric is purchased by the inch rather than the yard, so before you head out to buy it you need to measure the kiddo that you’re sewing it for or bring her with you. Measure around the top of her chest right under her arms. Add one inch to the measurement and buy that much fabric. My tiny girl is 20 inches around so I bought 21 inches. This is one of those cases where it’s useless to buy more than you need.

Making the dress

The first thing you need to do is cut off the bottom. They sell this fabric generously long so I always make the straps out of the contrast print on the bottom. It depends on the size of the contrast print at the bottom and also what size you want your straps. I like the straps a little wide so I cut 4 inches off the bottom.

Now you have a long strip. Cut it exactly in half vertically, so you have 2 pieces that are 4xwhatever. Fold one piece in half horizontally with right sides facing and sew along the long edge. Leave the ends open. Iron it in half to make it easier. I avoid pinning things whenever I can.

Repeat with the other strap. Now you have two inside-out straps with unfinished ends – you need to turn them right side-out. Here’s one inside-out and one right side-out. I accomplish this by putting a safety pin in one end and guiding the pin up through.

You’ll need to iron them after your turn them the right way. I like to top stitch along each edge of the straps because I think it gives a nice, finished look.

Ok, you have two straps done. Now you need to sew the dress. Fold the dress in half and sew it together with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Right next to the straight line you sewed, sew a zigzag stitch (See below pic for a visual). Now you need to cut off the fabric just outside the zig-zag stitch. You need to do this so that it doesn’t fray and make a mess every time you wash the dress.

You’re doing great. Now you need to sew a hem on your dress. Leave it inside out and fold the edge up a 1/2 inch and then up again over that, concealing the raw edge. If you have a small decorative edge left at the bottom then you can just go by that. Again, I use the iron here – no crazy pinning for me.

One last step – attach the straps. The length of them is pretty generous so you can place them however you like. I prefer to crisscross them in the back. The best way to do this is have your little girl try on the dress and then pin the straps where you like them. Sew them on the inside and cut off the excess. Here’s the back of the dress:

This is the best I can do for finished pictures. My model wasn’t feeling super cooperative and refused to have any pictures taken without her cardinal, her favorite bird. On top of that, it was a crazy windy day as you can see by her hair

She was in a funny mood

And one more, just for fun …

This dress is easy to throw together – an hour or less, and it’s so, so cute! Give it a try!

p.s. I made my own straps for this dress but if you’re really in a hurry, you could just sew ribbon on for the straps! EVEN easier!

Why I do what I do ~ Recently, Chloe put on a different dress to wear one morning. It was a hand-me-down and the straps were way too big, making the dress hang too low in the front. I told her that if she wanted to wear it, she had to take it off so I could fix the straps. She was upset and asked if I could PLEASE sew the straps while she was still wearing it. I agreed. Chloe stood as still as a statue at the table while I navigated needle and thread dangerously close to her bare skin. My grandmother happened to be visiting and was amazed that Chloe didn’t mind the needle being so close to her. I guess she doesn’t know any better. She’s had things pinned on her and fitted to her since she was a toddler. She probably thinks it’s normal

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Itty Bitty Baby Dress and Baby Shoes

I have some friends that are pregnant right now. It always seems to come in waves doesn’t it? Like most women, I love all things baby and I don’t pass up a valid excuse to buy or sew something tiny and adorable. So I’ve spent a decent amount of time scouring the web for ideas and patterns and I have found so many wonderful, FREE patterns and ideas for baby gifts. So here it is, my round-up of …

Fantastic, Homemade Baby Shower Gifts

Fold-Up-and-Snap Bib from Sew Mama Sew

Cloth Baby Shoes from Stardust Shoes. I’ve made these several times and I just can’t get enough of them.

Nursing Cover from TaDa! Creations. These are amazing. I so wish I knew about them when I had a nursing newborn.

Cashmere Bunny from Betz White. ‘Cuz everyone needs something adorable and cuddly.

Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made By Rae. I made this one recently and it comes together very quickly and turns out beautiful!

Newborn Baby Pants from Made By Rae. Seriously, she’s a fountain of fantastic ideas.

Crib Sheet from MakeBabyStuff.com.

Fleece Baby Blankets - both no-sew and blanket stitch from MakeBabyStuff.com.

Diaper Bag from MakeBabyStuff.com.

Fabric Diaper Case from Jan Andrea.

Pack ‘n’ Play Fitted Sheet from Craftster.org

Shopping Cart Cover from Mrs. Moneysaver

Do you know of any more good patterns?

Why I do what I do ~ Chloe is still at the age where she’s just a sponge for information. Lately she’s been eager to learn words that she thinks are difficult or tricky. She recently learned the meaning for “identical” and uses it constantly – being sure to properly enunciate every syllable. It’s so adorable to hear her saying, “Hey Mom! Those two trees are I-Den-Ti-Cal.” It’s not uncommon for Chloe to interrupt Dave and I in conversation and interject, “I don’t know what ________ means.” Most recently we had to explain what it means to “brace yourself.” You can see the wheels in her head turning as she thinks hard for a way to use her new words. It’s not always the proper use but it’s always cute – “I like red and cardinals are red. That’s identical.”

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Today I made a list of things I still need to get before Christmas. Only a few small fill-in gifts for family – not bad. There are, however, quite a few people I want to thank but I can’t afford to purchase something pricey for all of them. I think we all have these people: school teachers, coaches, co-workers, friends, neighbors, etc.

If you have a little time to devote to it then thoughtful gifts are the way to go. When people receive a gift that was handmade it means so much more and it can cost a lot less. I’ve been sewing these little snowflake ornaments. I just love them. I made them a couple years ago too. I plan to give these away with Buckeyes to the people I want to thank. The sewing and baking takes a little time but I don’t mind. I like my time to be consumed by things like that, especially during the holidays.

I’m trying to soak up every moment … how about you? Any last-minute gifts you’re working on?

Why I do what I do ~ I was sweeping the floor this morning when Chloe walked over to me and said, “I can do the shovel part, mom” as she grabbed the dustpan.

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Something about the Fall makes me want to snuggle under a blanket and read or knit while I sip my tea. Part of the reason I’m so fond of this is because the opportunity doesn’t present itself all that often. I’ve been making the time lately though, because being still and quiet and comfy puts my mind and my heart at ease. I think about and pray for the person I’m making the gift for. Just 10 minutes of this sets my mind right.

You all know I love sewing. I’m getting better at it because I do it so much. I enjoy knitting and crocheting also but I’m very much a beginner at both. I’m eager though. If I can learn to sew and become good at it, then I can do the same with knitting and crocheting, right?

I’ve still never attempted anything that isn’t square or rectangular but I’m fine with that for now. What I’m working on is getting the rhythm of  doing it to feel normal, or at least less awkward. One day I’ll be able to knit without looking at what I’m doing. I just know it.

Scarves are wonderful things to make because they can be fairly simple, inexpensive and beautiful with little or no experience. And really, what winter gift could be more perfect than something that’s pretty and cozy? It just may take a little time if you’re new at it. So start now.

I made this scarf for Chloe for Christmas. The yarn is so wonderfully cuddly. I used fat needles (size 15) and knitted a simple knit, purl, knit, purl … pattern. It created a scarf with ridges that run down the center. I think it’s lovely. I made it one day.

Chloe has seen me knitting lately and requested a scarf. Not wanting to give her the pretty Christmas one, I decided to break in my crochet hook and make her a fun, Fall scarf. The entire scarf is crafted from one, simple stitch – the single crochet. It took me two days and she loves it.

Do I have you intrigued? Here are a few patterns that are great for beginners:

The Eleventh-Hour Scarf ~ A thick, chunky scarf that comes together quick and easy.

Sparkle Scarf ~ A little more complicated than the above, but definitely do-able and so very pretty.

Basket Weave Stitch Scarf ~ Make a pretty, woven design without difficulty!

Crocheted Scarf ~ Using only the single crochet stitch and the double crochet stitch, this is a great beginner one!

Today it’s rainy and dreary at my house. The kids are all in for naps at the moment and my house is quiet. I could sit here and keep typing away or I could go turn on the tea kettle, grab my knitting bag and head for the couch. Yes … I think that’s what I’ll do. I know you won’t mind.

Why I do what I do ~ Do you like the photo at the top? I took that picture recently when I took the girls on a little hike where I live. It was a beautiful Fall day and the views were breath-taking. My plain ole camera doesn’t come close to doing justice. The colors are really very brilliant. Anyway, while we were hiking up the girls were noticing all sorts of things. One of them was a dead tree that was still standing but leaning on another tree. It was very large and had many, many bare branches all along the trunk. The girls thought it was great and then one of them said, “Look at all the arms and legs it has!!”

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Rice pillows are wonderful for aches and pains but you don’t have to be hurting to love the cozy feeling of warmth when the cool weather creeps in. Fall came suddenly this year where we live. One week is was gloriously in the 80s and the next week the highs were in the 60s. Just like that.

Winter runs long up here in the northeast so we try to wait as long as possible into the Fall before we allow our furnace to run. It’s a weird mental thing I think … a competition among some people. Regardless, the nights are getting cold.

I’d been wanting to sew up some rice pillows for us to take to bed at night. I have self-diagnosed Cold Feet Syndrome. With the exception of June and July, my feet are constantly cold, year-round. So I thought how nice it would be to have a rice pillow all warmed up and tucked around my feet when I go to bed on cold nights … instead of those awful, wooly socks. Then I thought … I wonder if Chloe would like one – I bet she would if it was cute

So … I made her a Rice Buddy. She named him Ricey. Cute isn’t he?

As soon as my nieces saw him, they each wanted one. So I whipped up two more. (When I say whipped up – I really mean it. I mean 6 eyes staring at me sewing, asking if I’m done yet.)

As soon as my husband saw them, he wanted one. Ya know – without the weird face. So I made one for him.

I made four rice bags that day … and none of them were for my cold feet. So I borrowed my husband’s I should probably have one for myself though so I decided to sew one more today to show all of YOU how to do it. This would make a lovely gift.

How To Sew A Rice Pillow

The basic idea is a bag of rice inside of another bag. Start by folding your fabric in half and then cutting out the size you want. Rather than cutting two pieces, I just made it one long rectangle folded in half. You need to cut out two. One to hold the rice and then another for the outside. Make the outside fabric 1/2 inch wider than the inside fabric. I made mine 6.5×11 inches after it was folded, the inside fabric was 6X11.

Take the piece that’s for the inside, still folded in half and sew each long side but leave the top open. Be sure to use a small stitch. Turn it right-side out so the seams are concealed. Now, pour the rice in. Be sure you don’t fill it completely. You need a little room at the top.

Take pins and pin the rice down in the bottom to keep it out of your way. Then fold the open end over (it doesn’t have to be pretty), pin it and sew it closed.

Take all the pins out. That part is done. Now take your outside fabric, folded in half with right sides together and sew up the sides, just like you did for the other one. Turn it right-side out and then slide the rice bag into it. Fold the open end in and pin it closed. Then sew.

Take the pins out and you’re done. Isn’t it pretty?

To make it special for gift-giving, consider scenting the rice with essential oil or embroidering something nice on the outside.

To heat: Microwave the bag for 60-90 seconds, depending on how warm you want it. Be sure and test the heat before giving it to little ones.

Why I do what I do ~ Decode this one: My niece came up to me yesterday and said, “The booger hole is stuck and the air can’t come out that part.” Poor thing had a stuffy nose and couldn’t breath out one nostril

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I’ve mentioned before – I’m pretty short. 5 feet and 1 inch tall, to be exact. Whenever I buy pants of any kind I have to buy the “short” length, and even then they are sometimes too long. Last weekend I found a pair of jeans at Old Navy that fit me perfectly on top but were the regular length so they were ridiculously long on me. I couldn’t pass them up though – they were $5.97.

Luckily, I didn’t have to pass them up because I know how to sew. Some of my readers are back-to-school shopping right now for your kids. You’re looking for deals but your kids want the trendy stuff. And even if you know how to sew – they don’t want their torn-up-on-purpose jeans looking hemmed. I don’t blame them. I don’t like my pants to look like they’ve been hemmed either.

Jeans can be tricky because a lot of times that bottom hem is part of what makes the style. The jeans I picked up on sale are a little teenager-y looking for me (but I still think they are pretty cute) so they are the perfect example for what I want to show you today …

How to hem jeans and keep the original bottom hem

Begin by figuring out how long you want the jeans. Either measure the inseam of a pair of jeans that you like or just fold the bottom hem up to where you want it to be. Remember to include that bottom hem in your measuring because we’re keeping that. Just work on one pant leg to begin with. When you get it where you like it, pin  it in place. Unlike ordinary hemming, you are NOT going to sew these inside out. Simply fold them up.

Match the front to the back and both sides to be sure you aren’t going to hem one side shorter than the other.

Once you’ve got the first pant leg just how you want it, fold the jeans in half and lay them flat like this. Then fold the second pant leg to match up to the first one.

Once you have them both pinned up, it’s time to sew. Of course, you can do this by hand but I’m much too impatient to demonstrate that. You’re going to sew right along the edge of the original hem but NOT ON IT. As close to the edge as you can. Like this …

After you sew the hem, stop there and try them on. Just flip the extra stuff under and make sure you like the length. At this point can you can still rip the seam out and start again. After this it gets a lot trickier to fix. I tried mine on. I thought it looked good.

If you’re happy with the length, continue on. If not, rip the seam out and try again. Take the jeans back off and head back to the sewing machine. If you have a serger then cut the extra off and serge them. If, like me, you don’t have a serger then sew a zig-zag stitch right next to the straight stitch you just sewed – make the edge of the zig-zag touch the straight stitch if you can but don’t let it overlap.

Now, take a deep breath and keep a steady hand. Take your sharp fabric scissors and cut the extra material off. You want to cut right on the other side of the zig-zag, as close as possible without cutting the stitch.

Iron the seam nice and flat with a very hot iron. Try ‘em on. Like it? Good. Now do the other side. If you look really close you can tell … but you wouldn’t say they look hemmed, would you?

I know … I’m in the bathroom. I wanted you to get the full effect though.

Please keep in mind … this won’t work if the jeans have much of a flare at the bottom. If that’s the case, then cut the bottom hem off about an inch up, then cut the circle hem into a straight line so it’s no longer connected. Sew on as described above but you won’t use the whole hem. Just sew the ends together once you get all the way around.

Why I do what I do ~ Chloe was going through a funny phase a little while ago. Whenever a song would come on in the car that David listens to regularly Chloe would say, “That’s Daddy’s favorite song.” She’d do it with almost all the music I’d listen to. As soon as it was something familiar she’d pipe up and tell me it’s his favorite. Then one day I was bored of the CD I was listening to in the car and switched it to the country music station. I like country music but David does NOT. I don’t listen to it all that often and I can’t think of a time when we’ve said anything about it in front of her. But sure enough … as soon as I turned the radio to country, Chloe made a weird face and said, “This is NOT Daddy’s favorite song.” Perceptive little girl …

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Mother’s Day is coming. Need some ideas? With a little thought and planning you can give the moms in your life something meaningful without spending a small fortune.

Potted flowers

Purchase an inexpensive clay pot. Have the kids paint it or put hand prints on it. Put some potting soil in. Purchase a 6-pack of annuals and plant them. It will cost around $5 and make a MUCH bigger impression than the $25 hanging basket.

Good at woodworking?

Build her something small. Has she been wanting a spice rack? How about a jewelry box? A window box? My dad built a K-Cup holder for my mom for their coffee maker. If you’re talented with woodworking you can probably make something small and meaningful, inexpensively.

Spa kit

Make a CD of Mom’s favorite music. Buy an inexpensive (I’m talking $1) candle. Feeling ambitious? Make some bath salts. Not feeling ambitious? Buy some. If you wanted … you could even buy her a towel and embroider it. A fun idea – buy some body lotion and re-label it with something cute or witty.

I’ve found some beautiful ideas around the Internet lately that would make lovely gifts on Mothers Day too ….

Embroidered Scarf from The Purl Bee

Handkerchief Sachets from Skip To My Lou

Pleated Pouch from Skip To My Lou

Handmade Photo Cube from Make and Takes

Homemade Bath Tea from Make and Takes

Rice Pillow from Wise Craft

Do you have any good homemade gift ideas for Mom? Leave your ideas and links in the comments!

Why I do what I do ~ Me: “Chloe, time is running out.” Chloe: “It’s OK Mom. I will catch it.”

p.s. In case you were wondering … this is my 300th post!
first photo credit: love♡janine,  second photo credit: SpecialKRB

third photo credit: acme

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I finally got tired of looking at my Fall/Winter cloth napkins this week. I pulled out my enormous stash of fabric and began looking for spring-looking scraps that were big enough for napkins. I found some and began cutting them out (Word for the wise – as soon as you set your rotary cutter down, close it. I sliced my thumb making these napkins. Ick.). Almost immediately, I noticed they weren’t all going to be the same size because the scraps weren’t all the same size. It didn’t matter to me. I made them all the same length and then varied the width. After all, they’re just napkins. I sewed them up in one nap time.

Once I was finished, I was stumped with what to do with them. When folded they would all be different sizes and wouldn’t stack nicely, like the Fall ones did. I didn’t want to just cram them in the basket – they sit in the middle of the table. I’ve been wanting to use napkin rings for a while, so I thought now was the perfect opportunity. I haven’t used them all this time because the only set I have are fancy-looking, and we aren’t fancy meal-time people. Also, I  was interested in having three unique napkin rings so each family member had their own napkin. So … here’s what I did:

For each napkin ring you’ll need:

• (1) 1.5X6″ piece interfacing
• (1) 4×6″ piece of fabric
• Needle & thread/Sewing machine
• Iron/Ironing board

Bring your interfacing and fabric to your ironing board. Fold the piece of fabric in half lengthwise and press it with the iron. Open it back up and on the wrong side, fuse the interfacing to one side along the center crease. There should be another 1/2″ of fabric sticking out on the other side of it. Fold that little edge over onto the interfacing and iron it. Now, fold the other side over a 1/2″ and then the whole thing in half along the original crease. Iron it. It should fold like this:

Sew along each edge, lengthwise. You can finish off the raw edges if you want to – I didn’t. Next, sew the ends together to form a ring. Be sure the ring is the size you want. The 6″ length gives you some room. I think mine are about 5 inches. Then trim very closely to your stitching and turn it right-side out.

A few months ago I inherited hundreds of old buttons from my dear grandmother that passed away. In her memory I’ve been trying to use things of hers in my home. The buttons on my rings are from that collection. Another idea to personalize them would be to embroider them. Although, if you use a different fabric for each person, then that may be all the personalizing you need.

Why I do what I do ~ I was letting Chloe pick out a movie to watch the other day. She told me she wanted The Ampully. I must have asked her to repeat it 3 times and I still didn’t get it. Her speech is very clear now so it’s unusual that I’d have a difficult time understanding. Noticing that I wasn’t getting it, she began to explain the movie and I immediately understood. The Ampully = The Ant Bully. I must say it all together quickly, so it sounds like one weird word to her.

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Holidays can be difficult when you are living frugal or you’re on a strict budget. Your spouse expects things, your kids expect things, and the commercial mentality of our culture feeds those expectations. Easter is coming up, and while it’s not nearly as expensive as Christmas, it still carries it’s own presumptions.

I try my best to keep my perspective about holidays. Being the mom in the house, I tend to set the tone for how festive we get. We love to celebrate so it’s easy to let things get out of hand. For Easter – well, we all need new Easter outfits and we also need to have an Easter basket full of goodies for our daughter when she wakes up, we really should do an Easter egg hunt and we absolutely cannot go without the traditional Ham dinner. Before you assume I’m suggesting you get rid of all that, let me tell you that we do almost all of those things in our home. However, we keep things in perspective in relation to our budget and the meaning of the holiday.

Like last year, Chloe is getting a homemade Easter dress. (It’s actually from the same pattern as last year too) Some day she may resent that, but she’s almost 4 and she still thinks I’m awesome – so I’m going with it. The dress is made entirely (with the exception of the zipper) of hand-me-down fabric, much of it from my dear grandmother that passed away in December. The dress is meaningful in more ways than one. And – Chloe adores it.

David and I have never bought new clothes for Easter (as adults). We just scrounge up whatever pastel articles of clothing we have and go with it. We’ve never really minded.

We keep the Easter basket thing pretty low-key. This year I’m going to sew her a matching purse to go with her dress (sorry, no picture, I haven’t gotten to it yet!). I plan to use the purse as her Easter basket. We’ll get her one or two treats and also the bunny I sewed for her (remember last year’s Kung-Fu bunny? I am really not brilliant at sewing animals. I’m thinking I should stick to clothes).

We always have a ham dinner for Easter but we usually eat it as a family at home. For quite a few years now we’ve had Easter dinner with my side of the family and we’ve each shared a little of the expense and preparation. I’m excited to have a chance to share it with my husband’s side of the family this year.

All of those things are fun and I look forward to them. I get all excited sewing Chloe’s dress. All those things – aren’t the focus though. The big deal for Easter in our family – and everything that day revolves around it – is that Jesus is alive. Much of our day is spent at our church and all the celebrating we do is in that context.

When holidays are celebrated for their meaning rather than for personal enjoyment alone it adds something wonderful to them and makes the other things seem more like an added bonus instead of the main event.

This is what my family does. How does your family celebrate Easter? Have you found any ways to tone down some of the commercialism and spend a little less?

~This post is linked in with Kingdom First Mom’s Easter Eggstravaganza~

Why I do what I do ~ I could be fueled for six months by the look on my daughter’s face the first time she tried on her dress and looked in the mirror. I sew her things, hoping for exactly that moment.

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